Locomotive-headlight.



No. 739,051. P ATENTED SEPT. 15, 1903.

E. D. BANGS.

LOGOMOTIVE HEADLIGHT.- {APPLICATION FILED mm. 2-, 1902,

H0 MODEL.

?a.tented September 15, 1903.

PAT T OFFICE.

EDWIN DUNBAR BANGS, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

LOCOMOTIVE-HEADLIG HT.

SPEGIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 739,051, dated September 15, 1903.

' Application filed June 2, 1902. Serial No. 109,901. (No model.)-

To a whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWIN DUNBAR BANGS, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of \Visconsin, having invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive-Headlights; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and'exact description thereof.

My invention has especial reference to means for controlling the direction of the rays of light from a locomotive-headlight,as well as for varying the color thereof; and itconsists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts, as will be fully set forth hereinafter, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings,-an'd subsequently claimed. In the. said drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation ofa portion of the front end of a railway locomotive-engine and showing my improved headlight and attachments, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a view of the same in front elevation and with the hood removed. Fig. 3 isa detached view of the device for changing the color of the light.

Referring by numerals to the drawings, 1 represents the boiler-front of a locomotiveengine of any desired construction, and mounted above same is shown a shelf 2', having standards or uprights 3 3 to support the headlight, all these detailsbeing immaterial, as is the particular kind of lamp employed; In the illustration given I have indicated the use of an electric-arc lamp with carbonsd 4 mounted on carbon-holders 5 5, extending up from the box 6, which contains the carbonfeed mechanism; but it will be understood that in place of such lamp any other style of electric lamp may be used, or an oil-burning lamp may be employed, if desired, although some form of electric lamp is preferable.

My headlight is provided with two reflectors, one (marked 7) at the back to throw the light-rays forward through the lens 8 at the front, as is usual in such devices, and the other one (marked 9) at the bottom to throw the light-rays upward through the lens 10 at' the top. Back of the upper lens there is a post 11, rising from the top of the headlightframe, and to the topof this post there is secured ona pivot-bolt 12 the'color changing frame 13, (shown detached in Fig. 3,) this frame carrying two panes 14 15 of transparent or translucent material (preferably glass) of contrasting colors, preferably red and white,

though any colors may be selected, as desired, ;theframe 13 being provided with outwardlyprojecting pairs of lugs or other keepers 16 and l7 and the frame 18 of the upper lens 10 having a spring-catch 19 secured thereto and projecting upward for engagement with one or the other of the said pairs of lugs or keepers, so as to securely hold the frame 13 in the position to which it has been adjusted and yet permit a quick change of position when desired. The frame 20 of the front lens Sis provided with two upward-extending arms 21 22, transversely bored to receive the ends of a journal 23, to which is rigidly secured the hood 24, and to one end of said journal 23 there is rigidly secured a lever 25, whose ends project both above and below the plane of the said journal, (when the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1,) and from the upper end of said lever a cord 26 extends back to the engineers cab, while another cord 27 is secured to the lower end of the lever 25 and likewise extends back to the cab within reach of the engineer. In Fig. 1 I show the main conductors 28 29 leading to binding-posts on the box ,6 from the point of generationof the electricity at any convenient place in the train, which Ihave not deemed necessary to illustrate, and, similarly, it will be understood that there is a suitable switch in the engineers cab,so that the circuit may be opened or closed at any time, as desired, by the engineer.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood from the foregoing description of its construction, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. With the parts arranged as shown in Fig. l a powerful stream of light-rays 'will be projected vertically and and a like stream will be projected forwardly. Now if it is desired -at any time to shut off the upward light the engineer pulls on the cord 26, which will draw the hood 2t over backward above the upper lens 10, and, similarly, if it is desired to show only the upward light the engineer pulls on the cord 27, and thus draws down said hood 24 over the front lens 8, while if neither light is to be displayed he opens the circuit wit-h the switch in the ordinary manner. In accordance with a prearranged system the color of the upward light is varied by turning the color-changing frame 13 so as to bring one or the other of the panes 14 15 in line with the upper lens 10, (the change being made by the fireman from the running-board or otherwise, as most convenient,) and thus it can be determined many miles off by the color of the upward stream of light the direction of travel of the distant engine, the track upon which it is standing, 850., according to the rules and system observed, and by these means all the facts can be determined as readily when the said engine itself is entirely out of sight (either by reason of distance or by curves in the road) as such facts can now be ascertained when the engine itself is directly in sight on a straight track,

and thus the liability to accident and collision be reduced to the minimum. I

While I have set forth one practical construction and embodiment of my said invention, it will be understood that I do notlimit myself thereto and that the same and all mechanical details may be varied within the scope of my claims and that more than two different-colored panes may be employed in the color-changing frame or the latter moved to the desired adjustments by sliding instead of swinging on a pivot and that the construction and arrangement of the hood may be varied as desired and like changes made as may be preferred in any particular case without departure from my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a' locomotive-headlight, the combination with the frame thereof, and a suitable lamp, of two lenses, one at the top and the other in the front of said frame, with two reflectors, one below the upper lens and the other back of the front lens, arms rising vertically from the frame of the front lens, a horizontal journal supported by said arms, a hood rigidly secured to said journal, a lever rigidly secured to one end of said journal and having ends projecting beyond the point of attachment, and cords secured to the opposite projecting ends ofsaid lever, and extending back to within reach of the locomotive engineer.

2. In a locomotive-headlight, the combination with the. frame thereof, and a suitable lamp, of two lenses, one at the top, and the other in the front of said frame, and a single movable hood supported ata point intermediate of the two lenses, and connections within reach of the locomotive engineer for drawing said hood over either of said lenses, at any time, as desired.

3. In a locomotive-headlight, the combination with the frame thereof, and a suitable lamp, of two lenses, one at the top and the other in the front of said frame, a pair of reflectors, one located below the upper lens, and the other back ofthe front lens, a colorchanging frame movably supported above the upper lens, a journal supported horizontally above the front lens, a movable hood rigidly secured to said journal, a lever rigidly secured to said journal, and cords secured to the opposite ends of said lever; and extending back to within reach of the locomotive engineer for drawing said hood over one or the other of said lenses, at any time,

as desired.

4. In a locomotive-headlight, the combination with the frame thereof, and a suitable lamp, of two lenses, one at its top and the other in the front of said frame, a post rising vertically from said frame, back of the line of the upper lens, and terminating in a pivotbolt, a spring-catch projecting from the frame of the upper lens, and a color-changing frame, carrying a plurality of transparent panes of different colors, said frame being movably supported above the upper lens, on said pivotbolt, and having lugs or keepers adjacent to each pane, for engagement with said springcatch.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand, at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWIN DUNBAR BANGS.

Witnesses:

H. G. UNDERWQOD, SADIE E. BANGS. 

